It is a long, long time since any fighting game came up with a new idea so engaging that the whole genre was forced to take notice. But before you raise your eyebrow into an even more elevated state of quizzicality, we should make it clear that Mortal Kombat 11 is no different on that count. It may well be that there are no more big new ideas to have, so all a new game can try to do is up the ante in terms of presentation and content – and fit in smaller refinements where it can. That’s the approach taken here and even with a few missteps it’s still as kompelling as ever.

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Mortal Kombat is different from the other major fighting games in a number of ways. For a start, it’s Western-made and has traditionally promoted itself via its famously outrageous levels of gore rather than its gameplay. That led the series to have a very spotty history in terms of critical success, but over the last 10 years or so developer NetherRealm has upped their game and the series is now taken seriously by professional players as well as people that just want to see the new fatalities.

At the same time, together with sister series Injustice, NetherRealm has created a formula for story-based single-player modes that is better than any other fighter. In that respect Mortal Kombat 11 serves as something of a soft reboot for the series, using time travel shenanigans to rewrite much of the franchise’s past and to allow for all sorts of chronologically-impossible fights. It’s pure nonsense, of course, but rivals should note that it does a very good job of hiding the lack of innovation elsewhere.

The game’s plot revolves around a new antagonist named Kronika, who is joined by three new playable characters: multi-armed monster the Kollector, time-bending bruiser Geras, and elemental elder god Cetrion. As ludicrous as the story might be it has a lot of heart and in the manner of a good shlocky horror film you’ll be wincing at the gore and laughing at the bad jokes in equal measure. It also helps that the graphics are so outstandingly good, with NetherRealm’s facial animation system now one of the best in the business.

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In terms of presentation Mortal Kombat 11 is several rungs above any competitor, but that goes double for its tutorials. The refusal of most fighting games to explain themselves has always been one of the great failures of the genre, and a key reason it’s struggled to remain a mainstream concern. NetherRealm obviously understand that, with clear explanations of both the basics and the more complex details – like understanding frame data – that only a pro would normally worry about.

The mistake many franchises made after the ‘90s fighting game boom ended was to become more complex and specialised but Mortal Kombat 11 is clearly determined to avoid that, as the gameplay itself is also notably streamlined from the last entry. That isn’t a euphemism for being dumbed down though and mostly involves sensible things like the redesigned special meter that means less downtime in being able to use more powerful moves. The stamina meter has also been removed, simplifying the interface but also speeding up movement.

The use of x-ray effects to show damage, which we always felt was overused, has also been pared back and there’s now a new ability called Fatal Blow – which can be used once per match when your health is low to give you the chance for a comeback. These and other changes are clearly aimed at emphasising aggressive tactics, as unless you get a flawless block you take a lot of damage from being too defensive.

Mortal Kombat 11 (PS4) – Ronda Rousey voices Sonya Blade…. she’s not very good at it

The customisation options from Mortal Kombat X have been expanded and it’s now possible to create multiple custom loadouts for each character, with different special moves that can radically change how they fight. Your options are restricted when playing someone else in multiplayer but in single-player you have an enormous amount of freedom to change the abilities and appearance of your fighter.

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Beyond the story mode and multiplayer, Mortal Kombat also brings back Klassic Towers – a straightforward knockout match where you try to work your way through a series of opponents to get to the boss. This is accompanied by the more involved Towers of Time, which offer constantly changing challenges with varying conditions in terms of characters and modifiers that can decrease your health, limit your special moves, or add extra obstacles.

Although Mortal Kombat 11 can be unusually imaginative in how difficult it makes the fight for you, this general concept is not new. But many of the challenges are patently unfair and you’re strongly advised to use ‘Konsumables’ – essentially your own positive modifiers – to weight the scales in your favour. The problem is these are obtained either randomly or by spending earned in-game currency to open what are essentially loot boxes.

There is an in-game store but it’s not been live before launch, although the promise is that the only in-game currency you can buy with real money is for cosmetic-only items. These are clearly inspired by Injustice 2’s customisation system, except the differences in clothing, and the buffs offered by augments, are usually much more minor and it all seems a bit of a waste of time at the moment.

Mortal Kombat 11 may not do anything new, in fact it revels in bringing back the old, but sometimes there’s a good reason why some things never change. Other concerns aside, Mortal Kombat 11 is as good as the series has ever been and has a number of elements that are better than any other fighter.

Mortal Kombat 11

In Short: Mortal Kombat continues to excel in areas that other fighting games ignore, with a new sequel that impresses in terms of both visuals and gameplay.

Pros: Fantastic presentation and gloriously shlocky story mode. Streamlined gameplay works very well, with plenty of depth while still being very accessible – in part thanks to excellent tutorials.

Cons: Towers of Time are weirdly unbalanced and very frustrating to play through. No major new ideas. Loot box concerns need to be clarified.